• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.493-500
• /
• 2005

There is some evidence that soy isoflavone has beneficial effects on the concentration of blood lipids. In this study, we investigated habitual isoflavone intake levels and the relation among dietary isoflavone intake, blood pressure, and blood lipids of adult men (n = 149) and women (n = 205). Anthropometric measurements including blood pressure, dietary in-take assessment using 24-hour recall method, and biochemical assessment using blood were conducted. The average age, height, weight, and BMI were 54.7 years, 168.5 cm, 67.3 kg, and 24.5 $kg/m^2$ for men and 53.9 years, 153.8 cm, 59.2 kg, and 25.0 $kg/m^2$ for women, respectively. The mean daily intakes of total food and energy were 1219.1 g and 1740.9 kcal for men and 1071.3 g and 1432.6 kcal for women, respectively. The mean daily isoflavones (daidzein + genistein) intake of men and women were 20.0 mg and 14.2 mg, respectively. Blood pressure of the subjects was 128.3/75.5 mmHg for men and 124.1/73.7 mmHg for women. Serum lipids of men and women were 180.2 and 184.9 mg/dL for total cholesterol, 160.8 and 137.6 mg/dL for triglyceride, 41.5 and 44.7 mg/dL for HDL-cholesterol, 106.6 and 112.7 mg/dL for LDL-cholesterol, and 3.5 and 3.3 for atherogenic index, respectively. Serum triglyceride and atherogenic index of men were significantly higher than those of women. In men, isoflavone intake and the level of total serum cholesterol were negatively (p < 0.05) correlated, after adjusted age. In women, there were significant correlations between isoflavone intake and blood pressure (systolic and diastolic), after adjusted age (p < 0.05). Based on these results, we concluded that higher isoflavone intake seemed to be related to a better lipid profile in men and lower blood pressure in women. But more epidemiological studies and controlled clinical trials would help to confirm the optimal amount required for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.21 no.6
• /
• pp.893-900
• /
• 2011

Prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) is one of the widely used biomarkers in the diagnosis of prostate cancer. It was initially identified in 1935 and is the most abundant phosphatase in the human prostate. PAP is a prostate-specific enzyme that is synthesized in prostate epithelial cells. It belongs to the acid phosphatase group that shows enzymatic activity in acidic conditions. PAP is abundant in prostatic fluid and is thought to have a role in fertilization and oligospermia. It also has a potential role in reducing chronic pain. But one of the most apparent functions of PAP is the dephosphorylation of macromolecules such as HER-2 and PI3P that are involved in the ERK1/2 and MAPK pathways, which in turn leads to inhibition of cell growth and tumorigenesis. Currently, clinical trials using PAP DNA vaccine are underway and FDA-approved immunotherapy using PAP is commercially available. Despite these clinically important aspects, molecular mechanisms underlying PAP regulation are not fully understood. The promoter region of PAP was reported to be regulated by NF-${\kappa}B$, TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-1, androgen and androgen receptors. Here, the features of PAP gene and protein structures together with the function, regulation and roles of PAP in prostate cancer are discussed.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.21-30
• /
• 2016

Objective: This study aimed to examine the characteristics of joint kinematics and synchronicity of rowing motion between elite and non-elite rowers. Methods: Two elite and two non-elite rowers performed rowing strokes (3 trials, 20 strokes in each trial) at three different stroke rates (20, 30, 40 stroke/min) on two stationary rowing ergometers. The rowing motions of the rowers were captured using a 3-dimensional motion analysis system (8-infrared camera VICON system, Oxford, UK). The range of motion (RoM) of the knee, hip, and elbow joints on the sagittal plane, the lead time ($T_{Lead}$) and the drive time $T_{Drive}$) for each joint, and the elapsed time for the knee joint to maintain a fully extended position ($T_{Knee}$) during the stroke were analyzed and compared between elite and non-elite rowers. Synchronicity of the rowing motion within and between groups was examined using coefficients of variation (CV) of the $T_{Drive}$ for each joint. Results: Regardless of the stroke rate, the RoM of all joints were greater for the elite than for non-elite rowers, except for the RoMs of the knee joint at 30 stroke/min and the elbow joint at 40 stroke/min (p < .05). Although the $T_{Lead}$ at all stroke rates were the same between the groups, the $T_{Drive}$ for each joint was shorter for the elite than for the non-elite rowers. During the drive phase, elite rowers kept the fully extended knee joint angle longer than the non-elite rowers (p < .05). The CV values of the TDrive within each group were smaller for the elite compared with non-elite rowers, except for the CV values of the hip at all stroke/min and elbow at 40 stroke/min. Conclusion: The elite, compared with non-elite, rowers seem to be able to perform more powerful and efficient rowing strokes with large RoM and a short $T_{Drive}$ with the same $T_{Lead}$.

• Neonatal Medicine
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.44-52
• /
• 2010

Purpose : The aim of this study was to develop a model for necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in the neonatal rat using endotoxin and hypoxia, a plausible insult in a neonatal intensive care and to investigate the role of apoptosis as the underlying mechanism. Methods : Newborn rats were given oral endotoxin and intermittent 8% hypoxia$\pm$caspase inhibitor. The intestinal histology was evaluated using hematoxylin-eosin staining. Apoptosis was analyzed with TUNEL staining and by measuring the caspase 3 activity in the intestinal lysates. IEC-6 cells were assessed for apoptosis and the expression of Bax, Bcl-2, Fas and FasL was measured after treatment with endotoxin and hypoxia. Results : Oral endotoxin (5 mg/kg) and exposure to 8% hypoxia of 60-min duration twice induced human NEC-like lesions in the rat intestine. Intestinal tissue revealed increased apoptosis and caspase-3 activity. After caspase inhibitor treatment, the grades of both apoptosis and NEC were significantly reduced. IEC-6 cells exhibited increased apoptosis and caspase 3 activity after endotoxin and hypoxia treatment and significantly increased Bax/Bcl- 2 ratio compared to control cells. Conclusion : This neonatal rat model of NEC which was induced by oral endotoxin and intermittent hypoxia showed increased apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells that was mediated by caspase 3 activation. Our model has a advantage in the study of NEC because the use of much more clinically plausible insults may provide a suitable model for the investigation of its pathophysiology and therapeutic trials.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.350-361
• /
• 1996

The objectives of this study mere 1) to investigate whether the different nonwoven fabric types influenced on the objective and subjective wear performances of the experimental pesticide protective pants, 2) to detect whether the different finishes treated to the nonwoven fabrics influenced on the objective and subjective wear performances of the experimental pants, and 3) to detect the relationships between objective wear performances and subjective wear sensation. Three types of nonwoven fabrics (T (Tyvek$\textregistered$), 5 (Sontara$\textregistered$) and K (Kimlon$\textregistered$)) were used as test specimens. By pad-dry.cure method, each of the specimen was treated with fluorocarbon compound for water-oil repellent finish (Tw, Sw, Kw). And each of specimen was treated with organic silicon quarternary ammonium salts and then treated with fluorocabon compound for dual functional finish (76, 50, Kd). Using the three water-oil repellent finished fabrics and the three dual functional finished fabrics, six experimental protective pants (Cl (Tw), C2 (Sw), C3 (Kw), C4 (76), C5 (56), C6 (Kd)) were made according to the same pattern suggested by the Rual Guidance Office. The wear trials of experimental pesticide protective pants were performed in a conditioned vinyl plastic hothouse ($30\pm1^{\circ}C$, $70\pm5%$R.H., 0.25m/sec air velocity). The measurements of skin temperature, microclimate temperature and humidity on the subjects were obtained by the themohygromenter. The subjective wear sensations were measured using previously developed thermal, humidity and overall comfort scales. The results obtained from this study were as follows: 1) There were siginificant differences among nonwoven fabric types on the objective and subjective wear performances, therefore, the skin temperature, microclimate temperature and humidity of subjects who wore the experimental pants made with Sontara were siginificantly lower than those who wore the others. And, the experimental pants made with Sontara were assessed as more comfortable than the others in terms of the subjective thermal, humidity and overall wear sensations. 2) There were no significant differences between two finish types on the objective and subjective wear Performances. 3) The microclimate humidity on the thigh was highly correlated with the overall subjective comfort sensations and the next highly correlated one was the mean skin temperature. That is, the higher the microclimate humidity and the mean skin temperature, the higher the overall subjective comfort sensation ratings which mean the overall subjective sensation was very uncomfortable.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
• /
• v.24 no.5
• /
• pp.519-526
• /
• 2018

In this study, an algorithm to predict evacuation routes in support of shipboard lifesaving activities is presented. As the first step of algorithm development, the feasibility and necessity of an evacuation route prediction algorithm are shown numerically. The proposed algorithm can be explained in brief as follows. This system continuously obtains and analyzes passenger movement data from the ship's monitoring system during non-disaster conditions. In case of a disaster, evacuation route prediction information is derived using the previously acquired data and a prediction tool, with the results provided to rescuers to minimize casualties. In this study, evacuation-related data obtained through fire evacuation trials was filtered and analyzed using a statistical method. In a simulation using the conventional evacuation prediction tool, it was found that reliable prediction results were obtained only in the SN1 trial because of the conceptual and structural nature of the tool itself. In order to verify the validity of the algorithm proposed in this study, an industrial engineering tool was adapted for evacuation characteristics prediction. When the proposed algorithm was implemented, the predicted values for average evacuation time and route were very similar to the measured values with error ranges of 0.6-6.9 % and 0.6-3.6 %, respectively. In the future, development of a high-performance evacuation route prediction algorithm is planned based on shipboard data monitoring and analysis.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.90-95
• /
• 2014

The researchs using brain-computer interface, the new interface system which connect human to macine, have been maded to implement the user-assistance devices for control of wheelchairs or input the characters. In recent researches, there are several trials to implement the speech recognitions system based on the brain wave and attempt to silent communication. In this paper, we studied how to extract features of vowel based on international phonetic alphabet (IPA), as a foundation step for implementing of speech recognition system based on electroencephalogram (EEG). We conducted the 2 step experiments with three healthy male subjects, and first step was speaking imagery with single vowel and second step was imagery with successive two vowels. We selected 32 channels, which include frontal lobe related to thinking and temporal lobe related to speech function, among acquired 64 channels. Eigen value of the signal was used for feature vector and support vector machine (SVM) was used for classification. As a result of first step, we should use over than 10th order of feature vector to analyze the EEG signal of speech and if we used 11th order feature vector, the highest average classification rate was 95.63 % in classification between /a/ and /o/, the lowest average classification rate was 86.85 % with /a/ and /u/. In the second step of the experiments, we studied the difference of speech imaginary signals between single and successive two vowels.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.23 no.10
• /
• pp.1703-1718
• /
• 2014

An eco-friendly integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) farming technique was developed with the goal of resolving eutrophication by excess feed and feces as fish-farming by-products. A variety of seaweed species were tried to remove inorganic nutrients produced by fish farming. However, there have been few trials to use Sargassum fulvellum in an IMTA system, a species with a relatively wide distribution across regions with various habitat conditions, great nutrient removal efficiency and importance for human food source and industrial purposes. In this regard, our study tried to examine feasibility of using S. fulvellum in an IMTA system by analyzing growth characteristics of the species in an IMTA system comprising of rockfish (Sebastes shlegeli), sea cucumber (Stichopus japonocus) and the tried S. fulvellum (October 2011 - November 2012). We also monitored environment conditions around the system including current speed, water temperature and inorganic nutrient level as they may affect growth of S. fulvellum. S. fulvellum in the IMTA system, which were $15.72{\pm}5.67mm$ long at the start of the experiment in October 2011, grew to a maximum of $1093{\pm}271.13mm$ by May 2012. In September, seaweed growth was reduced to a minimum of $280{\pm}70.43mm$ in length. Then, S. fulvellum began to grow again reaching $325{\pm}196.19mm$ by November 2012. Wet weight of the seaweed was $4.01{\pm}1.89g$ at the start of the experiment and reached a maximum of $109.26{\pm}34.23g$ in May. The weight gradually declined to a low of $15.12{\pm}8.40g$ in September 2012. Weight began to increase once more, rising to $39.27{\pm}21.69g$ by November. During the experiment, the average velocity at the surface and the bottom was 6.5 cm/s and 3.4 cm/s, respectively. The water temperature ranged $5.0-23.5^{\circ}C$, which was considered suitable for growing S. fulvellum. Results of the study indicated no significant differences in inorganic nutrients between pre- and post-IMTA installation. It was thus concluded that S. fulvellum can be a suitable seaweed species to be used in an IMTA system.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SC
• /
• v.48 no.4
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2011

Hemorrhagic shock is a clinically widespread syndrome characterized by inadequate oxygenation and supply. It is important to diagnose hemorrhagic shock in its early stage for improving treatment effects and survival rate. However, an accurate diagnosis and treatment could be delayed in the early stage of hemorrhagic shock by evaluating only vital signs such as heart rate and blood pressure. There have been many studies for the early diagnosis of hemorrhagic shock, reporting that lactate concentration and perfusion were useful variables for tissue hypoxia and metabolic acidosis. In this study, we measured both perfusion using a laser Doppler flowmeter and lactate concentration from the volume controlled hemorrhagic shock using rats. We also proposed a new shock index which was calculated by dividing lactate concentration by perfusion for early diagnosis. As a result of the survival prediction by the proposed index with the receiver operating characteristic curve method, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of survival were 90.0, 96.7 and 94.0%, respectively. The proposed index showed the fastest significant difference among the other parameters such as blood pressure and heart rate. It could offer early diagnosis and effective treatment for human hemorrhagic shock if it is applicable to humans.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• v.47 no.2
• /
• pp.147-152
• /
• 2020

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of vaginal progesterone for luteal phase support (LPS) on the clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) in natural frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles via a meta-analysis. Methods: We performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and retrospective studies that met our selection criteria. Four online databases (PubMed, Embase, Medline, and the Cochrane Library) were searched between January 2017 and May 2017. Studies were selected according to predefined inclusion criteria and meta-analyzed using R software version 2.14.2. The main outcome measure was CPR. Results: A total of 18 studies were reviewed and assessed for eligibility. One RCT (n = 435) and three retrospective studies (n = 3,033) met the selection criteria. In a meta-analysis of the selected studies, we found no significant difference in the CPR (odds ratio [OR], 0.96; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.60-1.55) between the vaginal progesterone and control groups. An analysis of the two retrospective cohort studies that reported the live birth rate (LBR) following FET showed a significantly higher LBR in the vaginal progesterone group (OR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.21-2.46). A subgroup meta-analysis of FET conducted 5 days after injection of human chorionic gonadotropin showed no significant differences between the two groups with regard to the CPR (OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 0.90-1.55) or miscarriage rate (OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.36-1.47). Conclusion: The results of this meta-analysis of the currently available literature suggest that LPS with vaginal progesterone in natural FET cycles does not improve the CPR.